Ink-jet printers include print heads that are located adjacent to paper that is advanced through the printer. Print heads include mechanisms for ejecting minute droplets of ink onto the paper, thereby to form characters or an image on the paper.
Many ink-jet print heads include reservoirs that comprise the sole supply of ink for the print head. Other print heads may be permanently or occasionally connected to an ink supply container that is mounted stationary within the printer for supplying the ink to the print head. In these latter types of ink supply systems, it is necessary to replace empty ink containers with full ones. Moreover, a user may wish to disconnect a partly full ink container and replace it with a completely full ink container in instances where the user is faced with a large printing task and does not wish to interrupt the printing task in order to replace a partly full container when it becomes empty. In any event, it is desirable that the container includes valving that permits the disconnection of empty or partly empty containers from the printer without leaking ink.
In the past, mechanisms for providing leak-free valving of ink containers have included the use of spring mechanisms, or valves having elastomeric seats or other components. Such valving techniques employ components made of dissimilar materials and, therefore, are difficult to recycle without disassembling the valves to sort the dissimilar materials. Moreover, such valves are susceptible to failure in extreme environmental conditions, such as freezing. Further, such valves may leak or otherwise fail if the ink container is dropped.
This invention is directed to easily manufactured valving for an ink container. The valving is constructed so that all of the components of the valving may be made from the same material, thereby greatly simplifying the recycling of the container since no sorting of the components is necessary.
The valving of the present invention provides a robust seal to prevent leakage of ink through the valve. Moreover, the valving is sturdy to resist opening or leaking in the event the valved container is dropped or otherwise exposed to extreme environmental conditions.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided a rotatable valve that is carried by the ink container. The valve may be engaged by a valve actuator when the container is placed within the printer. The valve actuator opens the valve after a seal is made between the valve and a receptacle that receives the ink from the container.